Pipe and tube cutting apparatus



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 R. F. ROGERS PIPE AND TUBE CUTTING APPARATUS R O T m Mm H m INT m R I E w L a 5 5 U R z a a mm u \x uH llll WW Ill ldi-llll NH- 1 11 J .1 llllll ll \NIaVI llnfln LuLuuLwuLHfirrBuBurnBnuE E M r w in" NT .ib a B "I I I I l v on w mm Q n mo 2 MN June 12, 1956 Filed Aug.25, 1952 BY f mf gnfl ATTORNEY June 12, 1956 R. F. ROGERS PIPE AND TUBECUTTING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 23, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 21:: :1: 32min-155mg EQ'JJJJJJILELT lgnrrmnts ELUIIJJJELmi-JELFI V 3! -31 u 5lINVENTOR RUSSELL E ROGERS ATTORNEY United States Patent G PIPE AND TUBECUTTING APPARATUS Russell Ford Rogers, Youngstown, Ohio ApplicationAugust 23, 1952, Serial No. 305,960

1 Claim. (Cl. 164-61) The present invention relates to pipe and tubecutting apparatus, and more particularly to improvements in the designand method of operation of such apparatus whereby the cutting orsevering operation may be most advantageously eflected and whereby theseveredarticle is of an improved quality as regards the condition of theend surface thereof provided by a severing operation.

In one of its aspects my present invention is concerned with thesevering of tubular lengths into a plurality of lengths of shortlongitudinal extent for the ultimate manufacture of such lengths intopipe nipples, couplings and the like. In this respect the inventionseeks to provide an improved apparatus for severing the tubular stockmaterial whereby the severed lengths are suitable for threading, eitherinternally or externally, or both, without additional machiningoperations heretofore usually required to prepare the severed lengthsfor the threading operation. In accordance with my teachings theoperation may be carried out without causing any burr or otherappreciable projection of metal at the end surface of the pipe so thatinternal or external threading operations may be effected immediatelysubsequent to the cut-off and without an intermediate deburringoperation as heretofore required where the tubes are severed byconventional means.

It is another object of this invention to provide apparatus having thecharacteristics enumerated above wherein roller type cutters areutilized for severing the pipe or tube rather than saw or parting tooltype cutters. In the past it has been proposed to sever tubes and pipesby means of, for example, a saw passing transversely through thematerial, or one or more parting tools (thin tool bits of the type usedin metal working lathes) which are rotated relative to the tubular stockand caused to advance progressively thereinto to efiect a severingoperation. Either of these two last mentioned arrangements tends toreduce the difiiculties caused by the formation of a burr during thesevering operation, but both cause the removal and loss of a certainamount of the parent material. Over a sustained period of operation thisloss of material represents a substantial financial loss in theoperation. However, my arrangement obviates this objectionable featurewhile at the same time avoiding the formation of any burr in thesevering operation.

More specifically, the invention seeks to provide a practical andefiective arrangement for utilizing roller type cutters for severingtubular stock wherein cutters are provided for acting on both theinterior and exterior surfaces of the stock rather than on the exteriorsurface alone as has been common in the past. As will be readilyappreciated, roller type cutters tend to displace as Well as cut thematerial in the direction of application of force to the rollers andhence it is not uncommon for a large burr to tend to build up on thetubular surface opposite that at which the rollers are initiallyapplied. However, with my apparatus the rollers enter the material inboth directions and thus any tendency for the material to be displacedin one direction is opposed and counteracted by a similar tendency forthe material to be displaced in the opposite direction. The cumula-Patented June 12, 1956 contouring the cutting rollers so that as thesame advance into the work the material is caused to be displaced in alongitudinal direction to provide the desired contour. As will appearhereinafter, this arrangement is made possible by the basic teachings ofmy invention which provide apparatus capable of operating on oppositesurfaces of tubular material rather than on a single surface onlythereof.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent upon full consideration of the following detailed specificationand accompanying drawing wherein are disclosed certain preferredembodiments of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of tube severingapparatus constructed in accordance with the teachings of my invention;

Figure '2 is an enlarged fragmentary section View taken generally alongline 11-11 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section view taken along lineIII-III of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section view of a modification ofthe apparatus of Figure 3.

Referring now to the drawing and initially to Figure 1 thereof, thenumeral 10 designates a machine frame comprising generally a pair ofspaced longitudinally disposed I-beam or channel members 11 supported inspaced relation to a foundation 12 by a plurality of suitable legs 13.Secured to the upper surface of the longi tudinal members 11 inoutwardly overhanging relation are guiding tracks 14 which serve tosupport and guide in longitudinal movement a chuck-supporting head 15which is operative in a manner to be hereinafter described to supportand rotate a pipe or other tubular member during the performance of acutting operation thereon.

In accordance with the general teachings of the invention thechuck-supporting head 15 comprises a rigid housing 16 which forms themain body of the head 15 and which is provided with suitable guidinggrooves 17 arranged to register and cooperate with the tracks 14 toaccurately guide the head 15 for movement in a longitudinal directiononly. The housing 16 rotatably supports by means of spaced rollerbearings 17 and 18 a tubular chuck-mounting member 19 which, asillustrated in Figure 1, extends axially outward of each end of thehousing 16.

Rigidly secured to the forward or left hand end of the tubular member 19is a chuck 20 which may be of conventional construction and which isprovided with a central longitudinal opening 21 arranged to registerwith the tubular member 19. In the present illustration the chuck 20 isprovided with a plurality of adjustable jaws 22 arranged to gripstandard pipe or tubular stock of from about four to twelve inches indiameter.

Secured to the right hand end of the tubular chucksupporting member 19is a suitable sprocket arranged to engage a chain 23 driven by a motor24, the latter being rigidly secured to and carried by the housing 16.The motor 24 may be hydraulically or electrically operated, but shouldbe capable of accurate speed control so that the speed of rotation ofthe chuck 20 may be properly correlated with the diameter of the tubularsection gripped therein; the preferred arrangement being such that atubular section may be rotated relative to stationary cutters, to bedescribed, at a speed most suitable for carrying out the cuttingoperation,

Positioned at or near the forward end of the frame and mounted formovement transversely of the principal longitudinal axis thereof is apair of opposed upstanding cutter mounting members 25 and 26 which aresupported and guided by spaced transversely disposed rails 27. Asillustrated in Figure 2, one of the last mentionedrnembers, i. e.,member 25, rotatably carries a conventional cutter wheel 30 which ispositioned substantially at the same height as the rotational axis ofthe chuck so that upon transverse movement of the member the wheel willbe carried radially toward or away from the center of a pipe or tubularsection 29 mounted on the chuck 20. The member 26 carries a pair ofcutter wheels 30 which are spaced relatively and positioned respectivelyabove and below the cutter wheel carried by member 25 so that whenpressure is applied to a pipe 29 by means of a closing movement of themembers 25 and 26 the pipe 29 will tend to center itself with respect toall of the cutter wheels.

Each of the members 25 and 26 is provided with a pair of spaceddownwardly depending lugs 31 which are bored and threaded internally toreceive a transversely disposed shaft 32 carried by. the frame 10. Asindicated in Figure 2, the shaft 32 is provided with oppositely arrangedthreaded portions for engaging each of the members 25 and 26 wherebyrotation of the shaft 32 will cause simultaneous movement of the members25 and 26 either toward or away from the rotational axis of the chuck 20and tubular section 29 gripped therein.

Usually it is desirable to provide suitable means at the forward end ofthe apparatus for aiding in the support of pipes or tubes to be severed,and in the prment illustration I utilize a pair of spaced rollers 33journaled in mounting brackets 34 and arranged to engage the lowerexternal side wall surface of the pipe 29 and to antifrictionallysupport the latter for rotation by the chuck 20. The mounting brackets34 may be interchangeable, as in the present illustration, or may beadjustable so that pipes or tubular sections of various diameters may bereadily accommodated in the apparatus.

In accordance with the teachings of the invention I provide in additionto the cutter wheels 30, a plurality of cutter wheels 35 which areoperative to act on the inside surface of the tubular section 29 and inopposition to the cutters 30. The cutter wheels 35 are carried by anelongated mandrel 36 which extends through the housing 16 and chuck 20and through a tubular section 29, when the latter is positioned for acutting operation. As illustrated in Figure l, the mandrel 36 is securedat its right hand end by means of an anchoring block 37 which is in turnrigidly secured to the machine frame It). Suitable keys 38 prevent anyrotation of the mandrel 36, while collars 39 prevent any longitudinalmovement, although a certain measure of longitudinal adjustment isafforded by reason of a threaded interconnection between the mandrel 36and. collars 39.

in the preferred form of the invention the mandrel 36 is provided at itsouter free end with a plurality of radially directed slots 40 each ofwhich isadapted to slidably receive a carrier block 4.1 for radialmovement toward or away from the axis of the mandrel. As illustrated inFigures 2 and 3 each of the carrier blocks 41 journals a cutter wheel 35near its outer edge portion which cutter is adapted for engagement withthe inside surface of the tubular section 29 in the manner illustratedin Figure 3.

According to the teachings of the invention the slots 49 are so arrangedas to position the carrier blocks 41 and cutters 35 in angularlydisplaced relation to the cutter wheels 30 so that a favorable balanceof forces is obtained during advancement of the cutters into the wall ofthe pipe 29 and also so that there is no possibility l: of the cutterwheels 30 and 35 interfering during a cutting operation;

The carrier blocks 41 are held in position and guided by an end capmember 42 which encloses the open sides of the slots 40 and which issecured in the manner shown by a plurality of bolts 43. In accordancewith the teachings of the invention the end cap 42 is readily removablefrom the mandrel 36 and for any particular operation should besubstantially equal in diameter to the internal diameter of the tubularstock being cut. Thus, the end cap 42 serves an additional function ofinsuring proper positioning of the pipe 29 with respect to the cutterwheels. Also in accordance with my invention, where the pipe 29 to becut is larger internally than the outside diameter of the mandrel 36 aspacing collar 44 is mounted on the mandrel adjacent the right hand edgeof the slots 4.0 to assist in properly positioning the pipe withrespectto the mandrel 36. And in instances where the diameter of thepipe 29 substantially exceeds the diameter of the mandrel- 36 either thespacing collar 44 or the end cap. 42, or both, will be provided withslots, not shown, arranged to register with the slots in the mandrelwhereby to assure adequate support and guidance of the carrier blocks41. Also, where pipe of maximum or near maximum size, for example aboutten to twelve inches in diameter, is to be cut, it may be desirable toutilize a modified mandrel assembly, not shown, incorporating four ormore radially movable carrier blocks. Such a modification may beprovided by any skilled mechanic.

For manipulating the carrier blocks 41 and cutters 35, carried therebyduring a severing operation the mandrel 36 is provided along itsprincipal axis with a bore 45 arranged to slidably receive an elongatedoperating rod 46 which extends outwardly of the right hand or fixed endof the mandrel as shown in Figure l. the forward end of the operatingrod 46 is an enlarged plug 47 which is provided with a plurality ofconverging dovetail slots 48 arranged to engage complementary dovetailinner end portions 49 of the carrier blocks 41. In this manner theblocks 41 and cutters 35 may be simultaneously moved radially inward oroutward upon suitable longitudinal movement of the operating rod 46, andit is of course contemplated that the plug 47 will be so designed as toafford control movement of sufficient magnitude to permit the cutters 35to pass, for example, half way through the side wall of any pipe 29which may be accommodated in the apparatus.

To effect longitudinal control movement of the rod 46 I have mounted adouble -acting hydraulic cylinder 50 at the right hand end of the frameit), and as illustrated in Figure l the piston member of the cylinder 50is connected to the rod 46. By means of suitable hydraulic circuitry,not shown, including a suitable metering valve, also not shown, I maycause the rod 46 and consequently the cutter wheels 35 to move at anaccurately controllable rate whereby to effect a cut upon the interiorsurface of a pipe 29 in the most expeditious manner. Suitable limitadjustments in the form of nuts 51 and 52 may be provided on the rod .6so that upon a full forward stroke of the cylinder 50 the cutters 35will have advanced only as far as desired, while upon a full rearwardstroke of the cylinder the cutters 35 will slightly recess within theend cap 42 and collar 44 so that the pipe 29 may pass freely thereoverwithout damaging or dulling the cutters.

Figure 4 of the drawing illustrates the apparatus as set up forperforming cutting operations on pipe 29 of minimum size, that is, pipehaving an internal diameter substantially equal to the diameter of themandrel 36. For this set-up an end cap 42' is utilized which is equal indiameter to the mandrel 36, and the spacing collar 44 is eliminated.Also carrier blocks 41' are used which are shorter than the blocks 41illustrated in Figure 3 so that, in accordance with the principles ofthe invention, the cutter wheels 35 will be slightly recessed within theSecured to,

peripheral outline of the mandrel when the cylinder 50 is positioned ina rearward limit position.

To adapt the apparatus for stock larger than that illustrated in Figure4, the spacing collar 44 and end cap 42 are substituted for equivalentmembers of the appropriate diameter, and the carrier blocks 41 are alsoexchanged for longer blocks as will be understood.

In operation, my apparatus is initially set up in the manner illustratedin Figure l, with the chuck-supporting head 15 positioned at or near theright hand limit of its travel and an elongated section of tubular stock29 engaged by the chuck 2 3 and supported in concentric relation to thecutter wheels 30 and 35 by means of antifriction rollers 33 and by thecollar 44 and end cap 42.

To position the stock 29 in the desired longitudinal relation to thecutters 30 and 35 the chuck-supporting head 15 may be shiftedlongitudinally on the guides 14 therefor, and for this purpose I providean elongated longitudinally disposed threaded shaft 53 which engages thehead 15 and which may be rotated by a suitable motor 55 operated from ahydraulic or electric power source as may be desired.

After the stock is properly positioned the motor 24 is energized torotate the chuck 20 and stock 29, and at this time the cylinder 50 isenergized to move in a foiward direction to cause the interior cutterwheels 35 to move outwardly into the side wall of the stock. Also atthis time the external cutter wheels 30 are caused to advance into thestock, and in the presently illustrated apparatus this is accomplishedby manual rotation of the threaded shaft 32 by means of a hand wheel 56.

It will be understood that the movement of the external cutters 30 neednot be correlated with the movement of the interior cutters 35. However,if such correlation is desired the shaft 32 may be mechanicallyassociated with the operating rod 46 by suitable additional linkagewhich may be provided by a competent engineer.

After a severing operation is completed the cylinder 50 is energized ina reverse direction to retract the internal cutters 35 and the handwheel 56 is appropriately rotated to retract the external cutters 30.When the cutters are retracted sufiiciently to avoid interference withthe tubular stock 29 the latter is caused to move longitudinally forwardby energizing the motor 55 to cause the chucksupporting head 15 to movein a forward direction. A new cutting operation may be initiatedimmediately upon the stock 29 being properly positioned with respect tothe cutters. This procedure is continued until the stock is exhausted,whereupon new stock is loaded into the chuck 20 as will be understood.

When it becomes necessary or desirable to change the size of the stockbeing severed the apparatus is first altered as set forth above byinterchanging the collar 44, end cap 42 and the carrier blocks 41 withequivalent members which are dimensionally suitable for the stock to becut. It is of course contemplated that a complete set of such memberswill be on hand so that all standard size stock within the minimum andmaximum limits of the apparatus may be readily accommodated.

My apparatus is particularly advantageous for severing tubular stockinto a plurality of short lengths for nipples, couplings and the likesince the nature of the cutting operation is such that little or noradial projection of metal is formed adjacent the cut. Hence if asubsequent threading operation is desired the same may be immediatelycarried out and intermediate and expensive deburring operations whichhave heretofore been required are eliminated. And it will be noted thatwith my apparatus this may be accomplished without removing metal duringthe cut. The cutting operation is merely one of parting rather thanremoving metal. This method of cutting tubular stock is of coursebasically old, but heretofore it has been possible to cut from theoutside only which resulted in the formation of a large burr along theinside surface of the stock. It was necessary to remove this burr beforethe stock could be threaded internally, and usually it was desirable toremove the burr under any circumstances since the same would interferewith fluid flow through the pipe, or would create a dangerous conditionwhere electrical conductors, for example, were housed within the tubularstock.

An advantageous feature of my invention which lends materially to itspracticability and structural soundness resides in the combined use ofnon-rotating angular-1y displaced inner and outer cutter wheels withmeans for rotating the tubular stock relative to the cutters. Thisarrangement materially simplifies the control and manipulation of thecutters, particularly the internal cutters as will be understood.Positioning of the internal and external cutters in angular-1y displacedor oifset relation is also advantageous in that the cutters may beadvanced into overlapping relation to insure a complete and cleanparting of the stock without causing the cutters to interfere andthereby become dulled or damaged.

A further advantageous feature of my invention resides in the fact thatthe axial end of the tubular stock may be worked and shaped to a certaindegree during the cutting operation so that upon completion thereof thestock may be provided with a beveled or radiused end as may be desiredin certain instances. This may be accomplished by suitably contouringthe cutter wheels so that as the same are advanced into the work thestock is displaced longitudinally to a certain extent to provide thedesired contour. It will be readily apparent that I may therebyeliminate not only a deburring operation, but also other operationswhich are sometimes necessary or desirable to properly prepare the stockends for subsequent threading, for example.

It will be understood, of course, that the apparatus herein specificallydisclosed is capable of substantial modification within the spirit ofthe invention, and for this reason reference should be had to theappended claim in determining the true scope of the invention.

I claim:

In apparatus for severing tubular stock the combination of a base, arotatable centrally apertured pipe supporting chuck, means mounting saidchuck on said base for longitudinal movement therealong, an anchor blockfixed on said base on one side of said chuck, a mandrel anchored in saidblock and extending through said chuck to the other side thereof, aplurality of internal cutters carried by said mandrel, an operating rodextending through said mandrel and adapted upon longitudinal movementwith respect to said mandrel to move said internal cutters radiallyinward or outward, power means on said base for effecting longitudinalmovement of said operating rod, and external cutters mounted on saidbase opposite said internal cutters and movable toward and away from thesame, the arrangement being such that a length of tubular stock grippedin said rotatable chuck may be severed into a plurality of elements uponlongitudinal movement of the chuck along said base between severingoperations.

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